Helicopter tour in Kauai

I definitely want to take a helicopter tour of Kauai. I'm debating between the ship's excursion or a private one with Blue Hawaii Helicopters. The private tour is cheaper for the same air time. Has anyone done a similar excursion and have a recommendation?

We did Blue Hawai'i in 2008 as an excursion through the ship. However, the Blue Hawai'i office was within walking distance of the ship. Great tour.

They will do pick up at the port for no charge now, so that's a plus.

Blue Hawaiin rocks!!

Blue Hawaiin rocks!!

Agree - we used them last September and it was awesome. Book for the first day on Kauai. It rained out the first group but we were lucky that it stopped for our tour. If you do get canceled you can rebook for the next morning.

What they said. We went with Blue Hawaiian. The office is no longer within walking distance, but they sent someone to pick us up. It was amazing. We booked for the morning of the first day which left us lots of time to take a tour with Jay at Tread Lightly Kauai afterwards.

I would not book through the ship..they charge you a lot more for the same tours. I did Safari tours in Hilo as they were a lot cheaper than anyone else. They also have Kauai tours. We really liked them. Everyone had a good view, they picked us up promptly at the ship (for free), and they were very kind.

We were on the Pride of America in September and used Safari Helicopter tours in Kauai. They were wonderful!! We were picked up at the ship, taken to their office to do the paperwork, then to the Lihue airport. The pilot was very nice and informative about what we were seeing. I recommend Safari quite highly!

Thank you for the recommendations of Safari. Just looked them up on tripadvisor and after seeing the great ratings booked them for Hilo. Wow did we ever save some money booking online direct. Thank you thank you and thank you again.

How do you get to Safari helicopter tours? Will they pick you up at the dock? If you have to get a taxi, about how much does it cost?

They pick us up at the port.

I'll throw in another vote for Safari - we took the Jurassic Landing adventure last May and it was the highlight of our trip. Don't forget to wear dark colors so that your reflection doesn't ruin your pictures. Absolutely AWESOME experience!

I don't think there is a bad helicopter tour in Kauai, they wouldn't be in business long. There is also an airplane tour that is cheaper and does the same flight. One advantage of the airplane is everyone gets a window seat. You may not get that in the helicopter.

If pictures are really important, look for a helicopter that takes the doors off. It sounds a little scary but it only takes a few minutes to get used to it, and you can't beat the pictures. Otherwise you will be fighting glare off the windows.

Burt

I'll throw in another vote for Safari - we took the Jurassic Landing adventure last May and it was the highlight of our trip. Don't forget to wear dark colors so that your reflection doesn't ruin your pictures. Absolutely AWESOME experience!

I just realized that I had the wrong helicopter company name :o Sorry about that! We took the Jurassic Landing Adventure with Island Helicopters (and it was fantastic).

Just reporting back after our cruise. I did take the Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour in Kauai and had a fabulous time. It was definitely one of the highlights of our cruise. Our pilot was Marty, and he was a great pilot with good commentary and smooth flying. I felt completely safe although it was my first helicopter ride. The views of Kauai are just fantastic, and I saw so much more than I would have been able to see on a land tour. If you thinking about a helicopter tour, I highly recommend it especially on Kauai. The most economical way to go is to book directly online at their website. They also pick up at the pier at no extra charge. You can also buy a DVD of your flight, which I did to supplement my photos. Thanks everyone for your recommendations.

I've booked the helicopter tour in Kauai with Safari. I'm hoping that is a great tour too.

Just reporting back after our cruise. I did take the Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour in Kauai and had a fabulous time. It was definitely one of the highlights of our cruise. Our pilot was Marty, and he was a great pilot with good commentary and smooth flying. I felt completely safe although it was my first helicopter ride. The views of Kauai are just fantastic, and I saw so much more than I would have been able to see on a land tour. If you thinking about a helicopter tour, I highly recommend it especially on Kauai. The most economical way to go is to book directly online at their website. They also pick up at the pier at no extra charge. You can also buy a DVD of your flight, which I did to supplement my photos. Thanks everyone for your recommendations.

How far ahead did u book online for your excursion before your cruise?. Did they say they would refund if ship didn't make it in to port? Thanks u for the info-I want to book this same thing for our Jan 2015 cruise!

Glad to hear you enjoyed this tour. My husband and I will be doing March 27th. Can't wait.

How far ahead did u book online for your excursion before your cruise?. Did they say they would refund if ship didn't make it in to port? Thanks u for the info-I want to book this same thing for our Jan 2015 cruise!

I'm not HRPro, but I just booked Blue Hawaiian for our August cruise. Not sure how many copters they have running at any time, but there appear to be only 6 seats in each, so if I were you, I would book it as soon as possible.

Their confirmation noted a 24 hour cancellation or change policy, so if you change your mind, you can always cancel with no loss. No mention of what happens if the ship does not make it into port, but I would think this would be pretty rare. You could call the 800 # to inquire.

I've booked the helicopter tour in Kauai with Safari. I'm hoping that is a great tour too.

Don't know about Kauai, but we used Safari from Hilo because they were recommended on this thread and it was great! Good recommendation! Very experienced pilot! We met someone else on the ship who used the ship's excursion helicopter about the same time and they ended up going back to the landing due to clouds/rain. Our pilot just flew under the clouds and did a great job circling the volcanic fields so everyone could see from both sides. It was awesome!

I don't think there is a bad helicopter tour in Kauai, they wouldn't be in business long. There is also an airplane tour that is cheaper and does the same flight. One advantage of the airplane is everyone gets a window seat. You may not get that in the helicopter.

 

If pictures are really important, look for a helicopter that takes the doors off. It sounds a little scary but it only takes a few minutes to get used to it, and you can't beat the pictures. Otherwise you will be fighting glare off the windows.

 

Burt

I know this is an old thread but photos are incredibly important to me (basically the only souvenir I hope for during a cruise) and I am concerned about glare, etc. I'll be cruising in late Feb and would love to know which companies cater to photographers and take the doors off... Can you recommend anyone? Thanks in advance.

On Kauai we used http://www.helicopter-tours-kauai.com Doors off and did the extended falls private tour. Mauna Loa Helicopters Private Tours is there company name and get a 98 on Triadvisor. We were there in September 2014 and had Guy. Must say he was the best tour guide we have ever had anyplace. He lives and hikes the Island so he know everyplace to go. Hope this helped

On Kauai we used http://www.helicopter-tours-kauai.com Doors off and did the extended falls private tour. Mauna Loa Helicopters Private Tours is there company name and get a 98 on Triadvisor. We were there in September 2014 and had Guy. Must say he was the best tour guide we have ever had anyplace. He lives and hikes the Island so he know everyplace to go. Hope this helped

I would love to hear more from you or anyone else about the experience of a doors off helicopter tour. My DH wants to do a helicopter tour in Kauai and is a photographer so doors off seems like the way to go but it's my first helicopter ride and I'm scared enough without taking the doors off so I would love hearing from people who have done it.

I would love to hear more from you or anyone else about the experience of a doors off helicopter tour. My DH wants to do a helicopter tour in Kauai and is a photographer so doors off seems like the way to go but it's my first helicopter ride and I'm scared enough without taking the doors off so I would love hearing from people who have done it.

I took a "doors off" Helicopter tour with Jack Harter Tours and it was a memory of a lifetime! Temperature was fine and the scenery was SPECTACULAR. Just tell them that this is your first helicopter flight and would prefer an "Inside seat" and they will most likely accommodate your request.

Rich

We did an open door helicopter ride with Jack Harter Helicopters and it was amazing!! Definitely a must-do. Helicopter ride in Kauai is a must do simply because you cannot see 70% of the island without being in air. And an open door helicopter ride just made it even more exhilarating! We thoroughly enjoyed it and would do it again and recommend it to others!