Anyone done the following land excursions ?

[DGK]

Little nervous and wondering how advenutous the following excursions are : Captain Zodiak Raft & Snorkel at Kealakekua Bay, Haleakala Downhill Bike, Kauai Canopy Zipline adventure. We read there is construstion at Fern Grotto any comments regarding the Wailua River & Fern Grotto or Paridise gardens ? If we don't bike down is it better to do the tour bus to Haleakala Crater or rent a car, we read it is a long drive is it worth it ?

Any comments regarding land excursions would be greatly appreciated. Finding it very challenging to decide with so many wonderful options and never been to Hawaii. Thanks for input.

[spcruiser]

My husband and I went to Hawaii for our honeymoon this past September aboard the Carnival Spirit - we went on the wailua river and fern grotto excursion in Kauai and it was beautiful! There was some construction but really minor what they are doing is building a small pavillion on one side of the trail leading up to the grotto. This excursion was very nice they take you up river (approx 15-20 minutes) to the grotto and give you some narration of the Hawaiian plantlife and scenary around the river once you get to the base of the grotto you follow a short path filled with small streams and tropical foliage til you see the grotto filled with ferns. Everyone on the excursion climbs into the grotto and then the guides sing the traditional Hawaiin wedding song to you - I would recommend trying to get in the front of the grotto as it is not that big and if you are in the back you will not be able to see the singers only listen. On the boat ride back the guides do hula dances and sing songs as well - Hope this helps your decision making. If you want any imput we also attended a luau in Maui which was fabulous they cook you a Hawaiin dinner and preform - some of our cruise mates went on the luau in Honolulu and did not enjoy it at that port but Maui was great!

[DonahCBrown]

Little nervous and wondering how advenutous the following excursions are : Captain Zodiak Raft & Snorkel at Kealakekua Bay, Haleakala Downhill Bike, Kauai Canopy Zipline adventure. We read there is construstion at Fern Grotto any comments regarding the Wailua River & Fern Grotto or Paridise gardens ? If we don't bike down is it better to do the tour bus to Haleakala Crater or rent a car, we read it is a long drive is it worth it ?

Any comments regarding land excursions would be greatly appreciated. Finding it very challenging to decide with so many wonderful options and never been to Hawaii. Thanks for input.

 

We have a rental condo in Kona and our guests have loved Capt. Zodiac. DH did the Haleakala Downhill Bike and found it fun, and occasionally a bit scary. Don't know the other one.

 

Haleakala is a long drive from Lahaina. If you do it be aware of the time it takes to get there and give yourselves plenty of time for the return trip.

[DGK]

Thank you so much for your comments. Did your guest say anything about how adventurous Captain Zodiac or the Bike ride was ? Litlle concern about motion sickness with the zodiac. Any comments will be much appreciated.:confused:

[SeaYa52]

When we did a zodiac tour along the NaPali coast we not have any problems with motion sickness. I do take bonine the first few days I'm on a cruise ship - but I did not take any on this tour (we were visiting Kauai for a week - not on a cruise). It is bumpy - and you do need to hang on - but it was an excellent tour. The zodiac gives you a chance to go places you can not go in larger boats. We were fortunate to see MANY spinner dolphins - up close - and several turtles. Would I take this again - absolutely. (will book at least one zodiac tour for our upcoming cruise on the TP)

:-)

Sandy

[DonahCBrown]

Thank you so much for your comments. Did your guest say anything about how adventurous Captain Zodiac or the Bike ride was ? Litlle concern about motion sickness with the zodiac. Any comments will be much appreciated.:confused:

 

Adventurous? Hmm. basically it is a boat ride, can be bouncy if there's a swell - what time of year are you coming? More rough water in the winter months here. He does take you into some sea caves, I know, and along the coast into Kealakekua Bay. It isn't like the jet boat rides in New Zealand or anything. About a "C-" on the thrill scale, with an "A" being a parasail, and an "F" being laying on the beach watching the parasailers, unless you hit heavy waves in which case it could get up to maybe a "B" - does that help??

 

In re: the bike ride down Haleakala - mostly the speed and steepness. There's not much in the way of "adventure" there if you're thinking mountain biking. It's road biking and they try and keep you pretty safe.

 

i guess if I were really looking for adventure here, I'd be inclined to point you towards the parasailing, the ATV ranch rides, and some of the trail rides upcountry and/or in Waipio Valley. There's also night diving with the manta rays, but if you are on a cruise, you probably aren't in port anywhere after dark. There's also the trip to the top of Mauna Kea - don't try this on your own, as you need both a 4 wheel drive and oxygen (14K+ feet) but it is really spectacular. There are a bunch of folks who offer that tour. My favorites are Arnott's from the Hilo side, and Hawaii Forest and Trail from the Kona side.