Just book it! Everyone who worked for Blue Hawaiian did a great job. We took a flight in Jan 2006 on Kauai and can't wait to go back again to book another flight. If I were rich, I would have taken a flight every day or even better owned one of these fantastic helicopters! Their helicopters are a lot better than any other you can book on Kauai. We loved our pilot/guide and for only $25 got to take home a DVD of the flight. It's one of the best things we've ever done (and my husband wasn't too keen on taking the trip in the first place because he gets air sick easily). He didn't get sick (nowhere close--there was barely any turbulence); in fact, he loved it so much he can't wait to go again. If you book online a few days in advance you can save some $$$. I can't say enough good things about our ride.
Like any business--everybody has a bad day once and awhile. Fortunately, Blue Hawaiian understands that. We didn't enjoy ourselves and BH made it right. We appreciate their professional effort. I thank them and encourage you to give them a try. First rate business and Maui is lovely from any anglel...but, especially theirs! Aloha & Mahalo.
We recently took the COMPLETE ISLAND tour on Maui and it was by far one of the most enjoyable things we did while we were on the islands. Our pilot was Guss and you should request him if possible. The ride was smooth, the views incredible, and Guss's knowledge of the island was great. It was money very well spent and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience!
This is a must if you are going to see the interior of the island. Great ride, smooth, and fantastic scenery. A little pricey, but worth every penny. The experience was so awesome.
We took a helicopter tour on Kauai as part of our honeymoon celebration and it was the coolest thing we've ever done (besides getting married of course). It did rain on us the day we were scheduled to fly but we were rescheduled very quickly. Our rescheduled day came and it was pouring rain. We were worried that we wouldn't be able to fly again! The staff told us we were fine and that is was just a passing shower and sure enough we were up in the air by 2pm! If you are prone to motion sickness - do not worry! This is the smoothest ride you will ever take. P.S. They arrange the seats by weight - just by luck my husband and I weighed enough to sit in the front. Truly amazing! This is the one and only time I congratulate myself on being a bit "heavy".
As odd as it sounds, I never took a flight on Blue Hawaiian Helicopter (BHH) tours, but would give them the highest rating possible. Bar some minor snafus, the company has treated me very well. Safety – Outstanding Given the two recent accidents (not BHH related), I did extensive research into safety. In every instance, Blue Hawaiian Helicopters (BHH) came up as the top firm in safety and procedures. They voluntarily comply with the higher safety procedures from the FAA and the owners are leaders in industry safety initiatives. Service - Outstanding My family scheduled two tours with BHH. Their representatives were extremely helpful on the phone and even told me how to save money with online booking. Once booked, I was able to speak to a real person to make adjustments and even select the pilot we preferred, after getting a bio that listed their experience. When we ultimately had to cancel the tour, the owner of the firm got personally involved to make sure everything was handled professionally. We had one representative who treated us poorly the day our tour was cancelled, but all issues were ultimately resolved by the owner. Very few firms provide the high level of customer service exhibited by BHH. They are the best. Tour and Reservations – Above Average Due to high winds and poor visibility, all tours were cancelled the morning of our reservation on the Big Island. Rather than risk not having my kids see a volcano, we started the long drive to the opposite side of the island, not yet knowing if the afternoon tour would also be cancelled. We were only there for a day trip and wanted to guarantee some sight seeing. Considering how often flights are cancelled, I do not recommend the two hour tour for people on a one-day excursion. For one day trips, book the BHH one hour tour out of Hilo. That way, if the tour is cancelled, you are guaranteed to still see the sights, since Hilo is near the action. If you are a guest on the Big Island, the two hour tour out of the Kona side should be great since the risk of a cancelled tour is mitigated. Planning and Weather Having taken other helicopter tours, I can verify they are awesome. Nothing beats seeing mother nature up close from a helicopter, without the bother of traffic and crowds. However, they are always subject to safety and weather. When we first took a tour in Alaska, it was a scramble to find a tour not cancelled due to weather. We succeeded, but found out weather cancellations are a common occurrence. My advice. Have a backup plan. Schedule your tour in such a way that you can easily have a good time if it is cancelled. Good companies, like BHH, will always put safety first, so you can trust their decisions. But, they do not control the weather. As the boy scouts say, always be prepared. While I should have prepared a backup plan, it would have been nice if the BHH reservation agent had given me some more insight into selecting a tour, especially after informing him of our one day itinerary. Overall, don’t bother looking anywhere else. BHH is the only company to use in my book, and I did the research.
We paid the few extra bucks for the EcoStar, and it was worth it. The seats had plenty of room and a gentle, cool air blew at our faces. We went out on a windy day and have the tendency to get motion sickness, but this helicopter was so comfortable that we didn't feel sick at all. The pilot was informative without being too talkative. A video of the flight is offered when you return. Definitely recommended.
I recently took a helicopter tour of Maui with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. They have new helicopters called Eco Star's. They are 50% quieter, have more room inside, and better viewing than the industry standard A Star's. Marty (our pilot) was funny, informative and did a great job narrating the trip and answering questions. These helicopters have cameras all over them so you can purchase a DVD of your actual flight, complete with questions asked on board, after you land. Overall it was worth every penny to have a grin from ear to ear for an hour, and be able to take it home.
Who can NOT get excited about a helicopter ride over an active volcano? The trip was very good and the pilot was very informative and narrated the whole way. It would have been nice to have had two way communication so that I could have asked the pilot questions. Be aware...if you weight over 250 pounds you will be charged a $100 "comfort fee" which basically means you have to buy another seat on the helicopter (at a reduced price) because of weight restrictions.
Although there are a few reviews of Blue Hawaiian's operations on other Hawaiian Islands, I thought I'd write one about their service on Kauai as this is the one we just returned from doing. After a lot of research (there are a number of operators doing tours in Kauai since its one of the most popular things to do) we decided on Blue Hawaiian because of their Eco-Star helicopters and because of the superior reviews/comments about the company at their other locations. Despite a very dreary start (and early..5:30am wake up for the 7:15am check in..we were a 45min drive away!) we were pleasantly surprised that our 8am tour was still on despite the weather. After a seamless check in and safety briefing we all piled into a van for the short drive to the Heliport, located beside Lihue Airport. We were strapped in one by one to the very comfortable Eco-Star helicopter and introduced to our pilot who right away made us feel comfortable and safe. The one thing to note about helicopter tours is a) you do share the helicopter with other people, and b) they must spread you out according to weight/balance, so you might not get to sit next to a window and/or your partner. Once we took off (to the sounds of Hawaii Five O music) we were amazed at the smooth flying nature of the helicopter. We proceeded to fly around the island, diving in and out of ridges, creeks, waterfalls, amazing coastline etc. All the while our pilot gave great commentary, which was backfilled by a well-suited soundtrack. The 55 min tour went by in a flash, and despite the sometimes-patchy weather, overall the sun shone through and we were able to see all the key points in all of their glory. My wife and I truly enjoyed the trip and I think that a great portion of this was due to the professionalism and comfort of the Blue Hawaiian crew and helicopters. A great experience and highly recommended to any visitor of the beautiful garden isle of Kauai.
Blue Hawaiian really knows what they are doing and offer nice tours. My wife and I took them for the return portion of our Sky Trek tour to Hana in Maui. The air portion was great, but the ground tour in the van is NOT worth the money. We should have saved the money spent with Temptation Tours (they run Sky Trek) and taken a longer helicopter tour with Blue Hawaiian instead!!
We took a tour over the volcano and up to the northern coast of the Big Island. We upgraded to the Eco Star. The flight was smooth, leisurely, informative, and we saw everything we wanted to see: the active volcano, whales, and Waipio valley. Consequently, we decided that we didn't need to hike to several of these destinations and were able to see even more of the Big Island than we had planned. The entire flight experience was about two hours with a stop in Hilo for fuel and a bathroom break. I researched this experience a lot before choosing a helicopter tour and this operator and I was not disappointed.
Took Blue Hawaiian Helicopter flights in Hilo and Lihue. Absolutely outstanding. Excellent pilots and helicopters....ECO A-Stars in Kauai the best. Well run operation. Great value.....tour of Kauai was amazing with perfect weather.
We were going to drive all the way around the big island but this saved us. The ride was really smooth and we saw a whale, we right over the volcano, and got a video of it. we went in the morning and in the middle of the flight we took a brief bathroom break in Hilo. i really recommend it!
We did the cheapie $175 each 30 minute ride through the mountains. It was incredible, and now I wish we did the longer tour! Everyone was very professional, and I'd definitely recommend this company to anyone who wants an amazing experience!!! We loved it, and so did the two other couples we flew with...