Pick One..Cruise or Helicopter of Napali

My gf and I are going to Kauai next week and I need help figuring out which activity to do. It is her first time there and I want to show her a great time. We will have a budget to do either the helicopter tour which cost 180 per person for a 1 hour tour of the island with Safari Helicopter, or a catamaran cruise for $130 per person to the Na Pali cost line for 5 hours with snorkeling and breakfast/lunch with Holoholo charters. I can%26#39;t decide which is a better value and will be more memorable. To give you some background, we will be spending 3 nights each on Oahu, Big Island, and Kauai. We are also planning to see Smith%26#39;s Luau in Kauai. Also, we are in our 20%26#39;s and are about mid-level when it comes to adventure, and my gf had surgery on her back about a year ago. Please help~

Pick One..Cruise or Helicopter of Napali

Helicopter -- ocean is pretty rough right now. Five hours in rough conditions is not a good thing on an iffy back.

Or try the fixed wing flight. Wings over kauai???

I%26#39;d guess those helicopter prices are pretty negotiable these days too.

Pick One..Cruise or Helicopter of Napali

No brainer... helicopter!

If you are staying at a resort, the concierge%26#39;s can usually get you a 10% discount.

http://www.bluehawaiian.com/kauai/video/

http://www.ohanafun.net/

In my opinion, you%26#39;ll see more from a helicopter.

Here%26#39;s a sample of what you%26#39;ll see from the boat:

cruisemates.com/images/NCL/Aloha/napali.jpg

and from a helicopter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY_EUbESlcA

Hank

This time of year with the rough seas, the helicopter tour will be your best bet.

I am looking out towards the Napali Coast right now and I wouldn%26#39;t want to be in those waters. Forecast is for high surf next week. Great for surfers, horrible for tours.

You are on a zip trip...zipping around the islands.

Suggest you stay very in tune with the weather, and also the ocean conditions.

With a bad back, and rough seas, that can be quite a bounding thru waves, even in the summer, you might lean more toward the helo tour.

As visitors , we did both, a few times, but if it were my lady, having undergone back surgery, it would definitely be the helo tour.

But, before you plunk down your hard earned bags of shells, do check the weather forcasts, and look to make sure the mountains are not obscured by low clouds.

Denny

Helicopter. You%26#39;ll see so much more than on a cruise. My stepdaughter went up last week in no-so-perfect weather and commented on how smooth the ride was.

Wow, an overwhelming vote for helicopter over cruise. I threw this one out there because the cruise seemed like more bang for the buck, but after reading about the rough seas they%26#39;re having I think I will reconsider. And after talking to my gf%26#39;s doc, he said it

Has anyone done the Nii%26#39;hau island tour? It looks interesting but I wasn%26#39;t sure if you get a view of Na Pali coastline on the the way there or back, the flight seems to go SW to Nii%26#39;hau from Kauai.

Is there a difference when it comes to helicopter operators, I was looking at Safari since they are cheaper than Blue Hawaiian.

OP wrote:

';Has anyone done the Nii%26#39;hau island tour? It looks interesting but I wasn%26#39;t sure if you get a view of Na Pali coastline on the the way there or back, the flight seems to go SW to Nii%26#39;hau from Kauai.';

FIRST OFF, let me address your first question. Normally I would wholeheartedly agree with you that the boat cruise is more bang for the buck. ';Normally'; that would be my own recommendation to folks. There%26#39;s something about being right there with the forces of nature - on the water, the closeups of the coastline, the sounds, the smells, the oceanflife you%26#39;ll encounter. Be able to jump off the boat into the crystal clear water for some snorkeling. Enjoying some laid back camaraderie with your fellow boaters. The list goes on and on, in my opinion.

But that is ';normally';. In your case, with one of you having recent back surgery and the swells being what they%26#39;ve been lately, I%26#39;d have to agree that the helicopter tour would be better for you. But I say this with a lot of regret.

Now, on the Niihau boat tour......YES, I have taken the 7 hour cruise to Niihau area with HoloHolo. Just so you know, it doesn%26#39;t go to Niihau itself. It anchors off of a rock outcropping called Lehua, on the north end of the island. The tour first made a quick run up the Napali coastline. Then headed out further into the ocean on its way over to Niihau. At Lehua, we dropped anchor for some snorkeling.

WOULD I RECOMMEND IT ??......NOPE. Not to anyone or any time of year. Problems.....

1) an awfully rough ride back. They said it was typical for the seas between Kauai and Niihau. They closed up the bow of the boat and made everyone sit huddled up or standing/hanging on for life, at the back of the boat. Over half of the folks were sick. It was neither relaxing nor fun, in any sense of the word. Most were counting the minutes until we got back to Port Allen and relieved to get off the ship.

2) The snorkeling at Lehua - not worth it. Very deep water, not much to be seen. Biggest problem was the currents there. Very strong currents. We finally relented and got backup into the boat, afraid we were drifting.

All in all, it was expensive and we would have enjoyed ourselves much more on the simpler Napali cruise of 5 hours.

CORRECTION........in rereading your post it looks like you were asking about the HELICOPTER tour to Niihau. My mistake.