As with many other reviewers, my Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour was also the highlight of my 3-week trip to Hawaii. It was truly a fantastic experience and I cannot recommend highly enough to take a helicopter tour when you visit Kauai.
The decision which company to choose wasn’t an easy one and to be honest I ended up with Blue Hawaiian more by chance than by actual choice. I’m generally a nervous flyer and procrastinated endlessly which company to book with. Although both Blue Hawaiian and Jack Harter had been recommended to me, I just couldn’t decide…. It didn’t help that the weather during my 5 days on Kauai remained mostly cloudy and rainy. In the end I booked a flight at the very last minute, just a few hours before I was supposed to fly back home…..because the weather was great for a change and Blue Hawaiian was the only company with availability that morning.
Reasons why I would book with them again and would recommend them to anyone trying to choose:
- As mentioned flying is not my favourite pasttime, however I felt very much at ease with Blue Hawaiian from the moment I booked with them over the phone and especially after I checked-in at Lihue Airport. I have no experience with any of the other companies, so I can’t compare obviously. But it just felt like a very well oiled machine, very customer orientated, yet with a great focus on safety.
- Our pilot (Barrett? Brad?) was great, very informative, calm and trying to make sure passengers sitting on both sides of the helicopter got a good view of the sights. Maybe it’s just pure luck how good your pilot is, but I would assume it also depends a lot on the company’s policy, pilot training/guidelines what experience they try to give their passengers.
- I liked the fact that Blue Hawaiian bookings are confirmed no matter how many people are on the flight. It wouldn’t have been an issue with my flight anyway, as the flight was fully booked with 6 people. However, I had also enquired with Jack Harter a few days earlier as I was quite interested in the doors-off option, but none of their upcoming flights had enough people to be fully booked. Hence, none of the flights were confirmed. Unless you are a group and you can just fill up the whole helicopter, I wouldn’t have liked to sit around and bite my nails until the last minute, wondering whether my flight would go ahead or not. And then maybe getting disappointed repeatedly. It also just makes it difficult to plan other activities on the island which require advance booking.
- It is an expensive tour no matter which helicopter company you book with, so I find it reassuring that Blue Hawaiian only flies when they can guarantee a certain quality and you are only charged when you actually take the tour. A couple I met had their flights cancelled three days in a row because it was just too cloudy to see much.
Certain “risks” , no matter which company you book with:
- If you are a photographer and your main goal is to take great photos, you should book a doors-off flight. I thought the reflections in the windows did in no way impair my overall enjoyment of the flight. I could view the scenery perfectly. However, although we all wore dark clothing and I was sitting right next to a window, no matter how close I put my camera against the glass, reflections showed up in most of my photos anyway.
- All the companies I phoned told me, all seats on our helicopters offer great views. However, as mentioned by so many other reviewers, there is clearly a ranking when it comes to the best seats on a 6-seater helicopter. As the flight route will naturally show the main attractions on the right hand side, front row seats undoubtedly offer the best views, followed by the right hand window seat. In my opinion, then followed by the middle seat on the right. Followed by the left hand window seat. Followed by the left middle seat. If you have a great pilot as we did, he will take special care to turn the helicopter around repeatedly, so ALL passengers will get the chance to take a good look at everything. No matter where you sit you will not miss out on the Napali Coast, Waimea Canyon etc. etc. So I honestly think, all passengers will be able to enjoy the flight. However, if you sit in the front or on the right, you will just get more opportunities to get a better look, a second, third and fourth look. If you think you will not be able to REALLY bear that little injustice when it comes to seat “quality”, please don’t book a seat on a 6-seater helicopter because….
- …. there is no way any of these companies will guarantee you a window (or front row) seat, unless you are on a private tour. I had put in a request to be seated either in the front row or on the right hand side and I was told it’s up to the final weight of the passengers on your flight. Can’t guarantee it. Although I ended up sitting on the right side, I honestly think it was pure luck because I can see how the final seating arrangement on my flight was the natural conclusion of the various passengers weights and sizes.
- I think the weather is one of the most important factors in guaranteeing you a great experience. It's Hawaii, so no forecast can completely guarantee you great weather. Weather can change very quickly here. But I think I would rather book at the last minute when the forecast looks quite good instead of booking well in advance.