Smith's Kauai Wailua River Cruise to Fern Grotto with Live Entertainment
Overall Rating
4.46
Not worth it if you have to get transportation there…
Reviewed by: Nicole & Thomas, 2022/06/12The tour was nothing to write home about. The captain had corny jokes; from the boat, you couldn’t see anything but the hau trees that lined the river; once you get to the grotto, it’s a pretty view but you’re 50-100yards from the cave entrance. The family sang but with all the people there, you could barely hear.
The taxi ride from Poipu was $70 each way. Add that to the cost of 2 tickets($60), this tour was not worth $200. Had we been located closer to the harbor, we might have been able to justify the cost.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/06/10 |
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River Cruise to Fern Grotto
Reviewed by: Cindy , 2022/06/05The experience was okay, and easy for most. The river cruise was relaxing and walk to the Grotto was not strenuous. However, the Fern Grotto was disappointing. It did not look like a "grotto" at all. The musical entertainment was okay but nothing to rave about. Something to do for seniors and children; otherwise, the tour is nothing to be excited about.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2022/05/09 |
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Great experience
Reviewed by: Grace, 2022/05/05Absolutely 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.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2022/05/03 |
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Beautiful grotto with fun entertainment while on the river
Reviewed by: OneHauteMom, 2022/05/03This was a fun shorter excursion with a relaxing boat ride to the grotto and live entertainment onboard. A cute experience.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2022/03/30 |
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Great family activity
Reviewed by: Hannah, 2022/04/29Perfect length to keep young kids entertained, fun captain stories and singing.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2022/04/25 |
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We were here 50 yrs ago on our honeymoon. Not the same but it was still beautiful. Thank you
Reviewed by: OBrien’s , 2022/04/28Nice boat ride to the Fern Grotto. Driver & dancers were awesome. The singers were exceptional. They sang the Hawaiian wedding song just like they did for us 50yrs ago on our honeymoon. We weren’t able to go inside as before. But it was still magical all the same. Thank you. Carl & Terri OBrien
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/04/26 |
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Rush to get an edge seat!
Reviewed by: Familywithkids, 2022/04/16The grotto was beautiful, the dancing and singing was great. The overhead boat speakers were really hard to hear- we couldn't make out the stories they were telling well. If you get stuck in the middle, you can't see anything. Overall, it's not something I'd do more than once.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2022/04/14 |
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Smith’s river cruise
Reviewed by: Beverly Kramer , 2022/03/22Once 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!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2022/03/15 |
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Fern Grotto
Reviewed by: Louis , 2022/03/17Wonderful and beautiful experience. We had a great time. Friendly and informative staff.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/03/15 |
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Awesome beyond words!
Reviewed by: Tiffany , 2022/03/16We 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.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2022/03/14 |
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Entertaining and Informative
Reviewed by: Chris Matishak, 2022/03/01We enjoyed the Wailua river boat cruise. It was very efficiently run. The entertainment was delightful; entertaining and informative. Enjoyed the walk to the fern grotto and the history there. Loved the scenery.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/02/25 |
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Friendly staff.
Reviewed by: Annalisa, 2022/02/23The staff was very friendly and they try really hard to be sure you have fun even if the cruise itself can be a little bit boring.
I didn’t appreciate that they don’t say anything to people who don’t wear a mask even if it’s still mandatory. That part was really annoying.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2022/02/21 |
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A lovely, peaceful boat trip along a beautiful river
Reviewed by: Ginger from Kansas, 2022/02/13The 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.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/02/11 |
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Good Trip!
Reviewed by: Debbie, 2022/02/06This was a good trip. The boat was clean and well-kept-up, and everyone was very friendly. Fern Grotto is pretty, and the local entertainment makes the event fun. It's a relaxing, quiet trip and a good way to see some of the beauty of Kauai.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/02/04 |
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Always my favorite!
Reviewed by: Sonja Newton, 2022/01/31Every 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!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2022/01/06 |
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beautiful peaceful and entertaining
Reviewed by: sebastian, 2022/01/09i whole experience was amazing. The employees greeted guests with enthusiasm and personality, very happy and entertaining. the boat ride took us giding down the river providing beautiful sites and emotions. the fern grotto and short walk were great as well. all around a+ adventure.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2022/01/06 |
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Rich in culture, beauty, and Aloha! Everyone should do this when visiting Kauai. Worth it!
Reviewed by: Colleen, 2021/12/30The Smith’s Wailua River Cruise was a beautiful way to spend our morning. Start off by learning some island history and geography by a native guide from the Smith Family. Ours was Wade.
Once you arrive at the Fern Grotto, you’ll walk a beautiful path to get there and learn about its natural history and cultural significance as well as anything you’d like to know about it. We learned so many fascination facts and it was so beautiful and peaceful.
On our way back, we were treated with professional musicians and a top notch dancer. Everything about the small group of performers was beautiful from the sweet sounds of the musicians to the graceful display of cultural dance. You couldn’t get better quality and for the price!
It was an honor and gift to ride with the Smith Family. Looking forward to coming back with the kids.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/12/03 |
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Awesome experience.
Reviewed by: Justin T, 2021/12/24Wish it didn’t rain the whole time but they can’t control that obviously. I recommend it.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2021/12/22 |
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Great family fun time.
Reviewed by: Umar, 2021/12/13It's a nice way to spend an hour on the water with some fun Hawaiian music. It's relaxing and a calm way to just chill. The actual fern grotto was an incredible sight to see and enjoy. That was the best part. Just a couple of minutes of walk from the dock to the main area where you see and appreciate the phenomenon.
Fun!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/12/10 |
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Tired
Reviewed by: Sharon, 2021/12/11The building where we pay and gather is very depressing. The boat ride was uneventful, the grotto was a beauty of nature. We music was okay, we could tell the performers were tired because it was the last trip of the day, but they were nice and accommodating.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/11/17 |
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River Excursion
Reviewed by: Arizona, 2021/11/28Good way to spend a couple of hours meandering down a river.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/11/24 |
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Great family tour
Reviewed by: :-), 2021/11/14We have two toddlers so this was a nice adventure to take with little ones. The fern grotto is beautiful.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2021/10/18 |
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Fun. Sort of hokey!
Reviewed by: CurlyQ, 2021/11/10Nice boat ride and walk to the fern grotto. The customers on board got into the group songs and their hand movements. A good family outing.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/11/08 |
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Great Value nice trip with the kids and grandkids.
Reviewed by: mitch, 2021/10/30Nice cruise, lots of fun info and entertainment and a great trip for the value.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2021/10/06 |
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Excellent crew and talent, Fern Grotto not truly accessible
Reviewed by: Michele, 2021/10/17Our group of 4, aged 50s to 70s, very much enjoyed the entertainment and river history. One of our group was in a wheelchair. Bathrooms were accessible but the ramp to see Fern Grotto was so steep that 2 of us chose bathrooms over seeing that trip endpoint. This excursion is the best value on the island. Book it!
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2021/10/13 |
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Relaxing with good humor
Reviewed by: Linda, 2021/10/03Captain on cruise was very informative and relaxed. He made the cruise more enjoyable. The young man who sang had excellent humor and a great voice for the songs he sang. The ladies were doing their job. Hula was beautiful and graceful
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2021/09/29 |
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So worth it!
Reviewed by: Catharina , 2021/09/27Great short cruise for the money, even includes entertainment. We loved it! We would do it again.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/09/22 |
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Very enjoyable river cruise
Reviewed by: Lisa, 2021/09/21Great opportunity to sit back, relax and enjoy and hour and 20 minutes on the Wailua River and “getting married” at the Fern Grotto. The music and hula dancing on the journey up the river added a wonderful ambiance and the history and information on movies filmed on and around the Wailua on the way back was very informative. All in all a wonderful addition to our trip to Hawaii.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/09/16 |
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Lynsan
Reviewed by: Lynn M, 2021/09/06We had not been to the fern grotto in 25 years. It is more beautiful and serene then we remember. The staff a Smith's are welcoming and deliver a fun trip. We like the music and the Capitan's narrative explaining the area.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2021/08/30 |
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Aloha ! Remarkable performances by the musicians and Aloha dancers
Reviewed by: Hazel De Leon, 2021/09/02Aloha ! 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.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2021/08/02 |
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